A skeptical Florida Supreme Court has moved to at least temporarily block Lee County judges from holding videoconference hearings in cases about whether mentally ill people should be involuntarily committed to treatment facilities.
Justices unanimously issued a stay late Tuesday afternoon, hours after listening to arguments about the use of videoconferences in what are known as “Baker Act” cases. Public defenders last year challenged the use of video technology instead of judges or magistrates appearing in person at mental-health facilities and sought a stay to halt the practice.
